Approximately 522,000 Palestinian voters participated in local elections held in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip city of Deir al-Balah, as reported by the Central Elections Commission. Rami Hamdallah, the commission's head, announced on Sunday that voter turnout in the West Bank reached 56 percent, a slight decrease from the 58 percent recorded in the 2022 elections.
Voter Registration and Turnout
Nearly 1.5 million people are registered to vote in the West Bank, along with 70,000 in the Deir al-Balah area, according to the commission. Deir al-Balah was the only region in Gaza where the election took place, following more than two years of Israeli attacks on the coastal enclave that destroyed infrastructure in major cities like Rafah and Khan Younis, making elections there unfeasible. Deir al-Balah recorded the lowest voter turnout at 23 percent.
Challenges in Gaza
Residents of Deir al-Balah printed ballot papers and prepared boxes themselves because the commission was barred by Israel from sending electoral materials, Hamdallah explained. The Salfit Governorate in the northern West Bank recorded the highest voter turnout at 71 percent.
Election Results and Representation
Hamdallah stated that 197 local bodies were won by acclamation, while contests were held for the remaining 183 councils. Women's representation among the winners reached 33 percent. He added that invalid ballots accounted for 4 percent, blank ballots for 1 percent, and valid ballots for 95 percent, according to the Wafa news agency.
